Once Upon a Summer
by Instructor Quistis
Summary: FINSIHED Written about a year ago. Co-written by Sorceress Rinoa. It's about the summer that Seifer and Rinoa shared.


Once upon a Summer  
  
Authors notes: this is collaboration between myself and Sorceress Rinoa that was written about a year ago. Rinoa's POV is written by the sorceress herself, and I am Seifer.  
  
Disclaimers: Don't own em, I'm just a spoony bard.  
  
  
I waited for Rinoa to meet me down by the dock in Balamb. This was definitely one of the best summers of my life. I lay my head against the boards and closed my eyes. This was going to be the first time we met outside of Garden. I think my main attraction to her was the fact that she was a resistance leader. Her father was the general of the Galbadian army and they had taken over Timber. Rinoa was one of the founding members of the Forrest Owls. They were a resistance group in Timber that was determined to free the town from Galbadian control. Great combo huh?  
I felt footsteps on the dock but I didn't bother to open my eyes. By the sound of it, it was Fuijin.   
"RAGE." she said as she walked up.  
"Raijin bugging ya again?" I asked.  
"YES."   
"Well I'm supposed to be meeting a resistance member here, get lost."  
"POSSE."  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But this is a girl, and I kinda like her."  
"DREAM."  
"Yeah, something like that." I told her, and a few seconds later I heard her retreating footsteps.  
I glanced at my watch, she was late. Not that it mattered any. I was the head of the Disciplinary Committee; I could skip class and not get caught. Not that there were many classes in the summer anyway.  
Another set of footsteps came tripping over the weather stained boards and Rinoa flopped down on the dock next to me.  
"Huff huff, sorry I'm late. Daddy made me feed the chicabos."  
  
  
  
"S'okay. I forgive ya." Seifer said, slid over so I could take a sear next to him. He was silent then, but that's the way he is all the time. I don't know what it was that I was attracted to in the first place, perhaps the fact that he was leader at Balamb Garden, where he attended school. And that he wasn't afraid to do his own thing, not afraid to get in trouble.   
I sighed and he turned his head in concern. "What's up? You seem… not like yourself today…"  
I couldn't really tell him what was running through my mind. He'd laugh. He'd stand up on the dock and laugh at me. "I don't know." I said, dancing around the real reason that I had agreed to meet him. "Have you ever felt like you wanted something, I mean really needed it and thought that you couldn't get it no matter how hard you tried?"  
He frowned, and I secretly smiled at the creases that formed in his forehead. He's so cute when he's thinking. "I guess… yeah." He said slowly.   
That's the way I feel every time I'm with you… I felt like crying. How could he possibly understand that he was the thing I needed?  
"Listen." He said, taking my chin in his hands and raising my eyes to meet his. "Whatever this thought is, don't let it get you down." He glanced away, not quite sure how to deal with the whole cheering me up thing. "Rinoa," he asked, leaning back on his elbows, "have I ever told you my romantic dream?"  
  
  
She looked at me with her big chocolate eyes and smiled. I nearly died inside. The real reason I asked her to meet me out here wasn't because I was talking resistance stuff with her like I'd told Fuijin. I Seifer Almasy had a crush. Don't even think about laughing.  
"Your romantic dream?" She asked. "Where'd this come from?"  
I shrugged, not quite sure what to tell her. "I dunno, everyone's gotta have a dream."  
"So what's yours?"  
I changed the subject. "You have really pretty eyes." I had the urge to pull her face forwards and kiss her, but of course, I didn't.   
"Umm, thanks. You changed the subject on me. What about your romantic dream?"  
I let her face go and leaned on my elbows. "I wanna be a sorceress's knight."  
"A what?"  
"A sorceress's knight, you know, a personal body guard. I guess anybody's knight would do. As long as she's as pretty as you."  
"Seifer Almasy, are you flirting with me?"  
"Me? Flirt? Oh no, not me, never." I started to smile and I couldn't hold it back. I felt it break into a grin.   
"Oh, oh, lookit the sky, such a pretty sunset!"   
I gave myself a mental kick in the ass and told myself not to be a chickenwuss like Zell Dincht and just kiss the girl already. I did.  
  
  
  
  
I sat back in shock. My first kiss and it hadn't even been long enough to enjo0y, much less experience. The whole conversation had been awkward. What was he saying about a sorceress' knight? There were no sorceress's around here. Garden takes care of that. Where would he come up with such an idea?  
The fact was that I was too caught up in the whole moment to think clearly about anything. It wasn't my imagination, he was flirting with me…  
He looked at me as if to say 'Are you alright?' But instead pulled his suave act.  
"See, told you I didn't bite."  
"At least not too hard…" I mumbled to myself, running my tongue along the front of my teeth as I kept my head turned away from him.  
"What was that?" he over exaggerated the motion like he was trying to hear me" you say you want to be thrown into the sea?" He was on his feet n seconds and I tried to get away, but he was too fast. He scooped me up and with a pair of strong arms held me out over the water (Angie's side note: Ooohhhh, baby… strong arms… heh heh.)  
"Seifer… no, put me down." I tried to protest without laughing. Really, I didn't want to get wet, but I was having so much fun I couldn't help it.  
He stepped back with one foot to get a running head start and then threw me into the water. I hit and went under and swam right back up to the top. I manage when it comes to swimming, but I don't especially care for it. When I reached the surface, I glanced around, but Seifer was nowhere to be seen.  
Suddenly from behind me there he was, in the water. He wrapped his arms around me, witch was what had frightened me, and I whirled around to face him. He grabbed me around the waist and kissed me again. This time with more passion. One I could enjoy.  
  
  
  
I don't know what the hell she was thinking, but whatever it was, it must've been good, because she kissed me back. I stopped swimming for a moment and then… she dunked me! Of all the nerve! I came up sputtering and swam over to the edge of the dock. I climbed back on and peeled off my wet trench coat. Why I hadn't taken the damn thing off in the first place was beyond me. She followed in suit and pulled off her duster as well. We laid our wet clothes out in the setting sun to dry and I laid my head back on the now wet dock and put my arms over my head. It was a nice night out, a little breezy, but otherwise… it was okay. I wasn't paying any attention to Rinoa for a few seconds there and when I came back to reality, I realized that she was shivering.  
"Hey, you cold?"  
"A little." She said between chattering teeth. I reached out to her and she automatically came over. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close so she wouldn't get colder.   
"Why did you really ask me out here today? You said you wanted to talk about the Forrest Owls and we haven't done that at all!"  
I staled for time. Then I saw a shooting star fly across the sky.  
"Rinoa, look. Make a wish." I know I did.  
She closed her eyes for a moment and I pulled her closer. She smelled like some sort of perfume. It was nice. I wish I knew what she was thinking. We stayed there for a long time, long enough for my trench coat to dry, her duster wasn't yet. So, as I headed back toward Garden I wrapped my dry coat around her to keep her warm. I started to whistle on the way to my dorm.  
  
  
  
The night sky loomed over us as I watched the stars twinkle. I was sure that's not what Seifer was thinking about, he was definitely deep in thought about something.  
What's gong on up there?" I said while playfully pushing my fingers against the side of his head. He pulled away and frowned and I immediately knew something was wrong.  
"I just can't stop thinking about, you know, tomorrow, and what we talked about…" he mumbled.  
I sighed and lay back on the floor of the tiny stolen boat we were in. It had been three months since that first kiss on the docks and tomorrow I was going back to Galbadia. The worst place in the world to me. I tried to think of something to cheer him up, like he did that one day for me, but nothing came to mind.  
"We're still going to see each other." I reminded him. "There'll be times when-"  
"It's not going to be the same." He interrupted me. I saw a tear run down his cheek. "I'm going to miss you so much."  
I held a finger to his lips and leaned closer to him. He closed his eyes and for a second we shared the same breath. I could feel his heart racing with nervousness. Slowly I slid each one of his arms out of his trench coat and started to kiss him.   
When I reached for the restraining duster I was wearing, he pulled back in surprise. "Rin, what are you doing?"   
"Shh. Just relax." I said.  
"But is this what you… really want?"   
"It's the perfect going away present." I whispered.  
In the dim moonlight, he leaned over and kissed my neck and I arched my back in anticipation. "Rinoa… I love you…" he said, but I was hardly listening. I allowed him to undo the half sleeves on my arms…  
  
  
  
  
I wasn't quite sure if this was what she meant, but I wasn't going to be stupid enough not to chance it. I wanted to give her something to remember me by. I let her pull off the rest of my coat ands I slowly removed her tank top. Under the moonlight, she looked like a pale white goddess. She stated on the buttons on my shirt and I quickly stripped her of the rest of her clothes.   
I was half crazy with passion then and I knew it was her first time. Mine too. And I didn't want to hurt her. I let her fingertips explore my body as I slowly kissed along her neck and chest. We were both naked now, unabashedly, unashamed. The waves rocked us gently in the tiny vessel and I closed my eyes for just a moment.   
I took it slow, savoring in the feeling of her skin against mine. I heard her make a few soft moans and I almost stopped, afraid that I'd hurt her.   
After it was over, we lay in each other's arms, staring up at the night sky. I didn't want the sun to rise the next morning. But it did. And she was still in my arms when it happened. We were both awake, and we watched with growing anxiety and dread while the sky turned and early morning pink.  
  
  
  
From the time I slid his arms out of that trench coat I had pretty much given him the green light. Even so, he was being a gentleman, he was holding back; probably afraid he was going to hurt me. A part of me wished he would just let go, and towards the ends, he did, but it wasn't at all like I expected. Girls dream of fireplaces and bear skin rugs and stuff like that. And probably a little more passion than was there. We were in a boat for Hyne's sake. Couldn't rock it too much or we'd tip over (and we didn't need to be any wetter than we were.)  
The morning came, brining its sunrise and we woke together, watching in an eerie silence. "My train leaves in two hours." I reminded him and he just closed his eyes and sighed.  
It took awhile, but we eventually got dressed and walked to the train station. As I stood on the loading platform, I once again took my hands in his.  
"When I met you three months ago," I said, "I was attracted to your attitude, not necessarily to you." He frowned, not quite sure where I was going with this. "But you've shown me who you really are."  
He took a deep breath. "Rinoa, am I ever going to see you again?"  
I hung my head. No Seifer, I thought, chances are we won't see each other again. We have two totally different schedules.   
The warning whistle blew and steam came from the bottom of the train. I stepped up to the first stair of the train and he grabbed my arm.  
"Rinoa, wait…"  
  
  
  
"Rinoa, I love you. If you ever get cold…" I handed her my trench coat and, one only she had ever worn besides me. She wrapped it around her and with the wind blowing her hair around her face; she kissed me one last time, and climbed onto the train. I watched as the train pulled out of Balamb station and as soon as it was out of sight, I felt something wet on my face. I reached up and brushed away my tears. And as if on cue, Fuijin walked up.  
"RAGE."  
"No Fuij, Something worse." I shook my head.  
"DREAM?"   
"Something along those lines."  
"COAT?"  
I looked at her, but only after making sure all, the tears were gone from my face. "Lost it."  
"LEMON."  
"Yeah, Lemon." But only if it's juice is as sweet as Rinoa's kiss.  
"POSSE."  
"I'm coming. I'll be there in a bit." She nodded to me and walked away. I breathed on deeply and I could still smell Rinoa's scent on my skin. I knew I wasn't going to see her again. But I would never forget her. I wish I had a piece if her to take with me, but to tell you the truth, I did. I had a piece of her heart. And she had a piece of mine. It was a summer I was never going to forget. 


End file.
